Points Capital

If you fly between Miami and Cali, Colombia, Avianca just made life easier. The airline announced on Oct. 22 that its nonstop Miami–Cali route is coming back on Dec. 17, 2026, and this time it’s staying year-round instead of running only for a few months. Tickets are already on sale, according to Avianca’s announcement as published by News in America.

That’s a change from how Avianca has treated this route before. Aviacionline reports it ran as a seasonal summer flight in 2024, from June 2 through the end of August.

The schedule

• Dec. 17, 2026 through Jan. 31, 2027: daily flights, which conveniently covers the Christmas and New Year rush
• From Feb. 1, 2027: four flights a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
• AV39: leaves Miami at 3:35 p.m., arrives in Cali at 7:15 p.m.
• AV38: leaves Cali at 10:20 a.m., arrives in Miami at 2:05 p.m.
• Starting March 14, 2027, the Miami departure and arrival times move one hour later because of U.S. daylight saving time

Avianca says the flights offer Business Class Americas, its premium cabin for flights around the region. It didn’t name the aircraft type, so we can’t tell you exactly what seat you’ll get up front. Schedules like these can change, so check the times when you book (as of October 2026).

This also isn’t Avianca’s only nonstop to Cali from South Florida. Aviacionline notes the airline already flies daily from Fort Lauderdale to Cali, a route it launched this past July. American also connects Cali to its Miami hub, so you’ll have options to compare.

How LifeMiles members can use it

Because Avianca operates the flight, you can book it with LifeMiles, and you’ll earn LifeMiles when you pay cash. If you’re short on miles, LifeMiles is a transfer partner of several flexible points programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou.

One thing to keep in mind: LifeMiles has raised award prices on partner flights several times over the past year or so, and there’s no published award chart. Upgraded Points reported in April that Avianca’s own flights have held up better than partner awards, especially within the Americas. That makes a route like this one a reasonable place to use LifeMiles, but always compare the miles price with the cash fare before you transfer anything. Transfers are one way, and you can’t undo them.

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Our take

Avianca is one of our top airlines. When we book Avianca flights with miles, we regularly get 3 to 5 cents per mile in value. What you get will depend on the route, the dates and the cash fare when you book.

This is a small but welcome win, mostly for people visiting family in the Cali area. A daily nonstop over the holidays is exactly when you’d want one, and going year-round means you don’t have to wait until summer.

The downside is that after January it drops to four flights a week, so you’ll need to build your trip around those days or connect through Bogotá. We’d book it with LifeMiles if the award price comes in well below the cash fare; we’d skip the miles and pay cash if the fare is cheap, which can happen on competitive Miami routes. Either way, it’s worth setting a fare alert now if you’re eyeing December.

Source: News in America (Avianca announcement); Aviacionline.